Baxtrol, an alternative to petrol

In December 1949 a new fuel appeared on the market, or at least at one garage in Rainham, Essex, this was known as Baxtrol and developed by a Mr. Baxter of Oxfordshire. It was made from acetone and methanol which meant that it was free from petrol rationing, however it had to be mixed to one third petrol which of course was rationed. It cost about 3 times as much as petrol and apparently engines had to be ran with the choke on; which hampered m.p.g. Does anyone know if it was sold elsewhere? As petrol rationing ceased in May 1950 the need for this alternative fuel was short lived, can anyone else add to the story?

Although this Parliamentary answer from Hugh Gaitskell a week later suggests that even 70 years ago Ministers of State had no idea what their civil servants were up to! OTOH Lipton was a Labour MP, so perhaps it was a planted question to somehow deflect criticism?

Although this Parliamentary answer from Hugh Gaitskell a week later suggests that even 70 years ago Ministers of State had no idea what their civil servants were up to! OTOH Lipton was a Labour MP, so perhaps it was a planted question to somehow deflect criticism?

You bet he received an uncharacteristically quick response from Whitehall, anything that would threaten to upend the Treasury's stranglehold on imposing swingeing and relentless taxation on British users of any commodity was strictly verboten, and of course this was the unnecessary rationing and repression for as long as we can impose it post war Labour government, was wholly predictable even then.

You bet he received an uncharacteristically quick response from Whitehall, anything that would threaten to upend the Treasury's stranglehold on imposing swingeing and relentless taxation on British users of any commodity was strictly verboten, and of course this was the unnecessary rationing and repression for as long as we can impose it post war Labour government, was wholly predictable even then.

Let's face it if some genius came up with a way of running cars on bovine urine then the Chancellor would tax it.

Let's face it if some genius came up with a way of running cars on bovine urine then the Chancellor would tax it.

What if it turned out to be horse piss?

Joking apart, if the ongoing obession with the fantasy of running battery powered cars every day (and think about the problems in providing it on streets en masse and the probable environmental damage that would ensue) actually becomes reality watch what happens to energy costs which are already increasing and will hit the stratosphere if electricity becomes essential to road users, never mind the wind turbine nonsense.

Thank you gentlemen for your response and especially to Vitesse2 for the links. However; Paul seems unaware that up until 1925 Road Tax had been ring fenced for the sole purpose of improving the road infrastructure. It was Winston Churchill who in 1925 raided these funds for non motoring uses, so much so that within a few years the British motorist was the most taxed in the world. Post War Britain was a very different place, petroleum had to be imported and we were broke, there is no logic in rationing something unnecessarily when it is taxed so highly.

Also as Twinny had pointed out to me in the past; T.N.F is no place for political rants, informed or otherwise.

Thank you gentlemen for your response and especially to Vitesse2 for the links. However; Paul seems unaware that up until 1925 Road Tax had been ring fenced for the sole purpose of improving the road infrastructure. It was Winston Churchill who in 1925 raided these funds for non motoring uses, so much so that within a few years the British motorist was the most taxed in the world. Post War Britain was a very different place, petroleum had to be imported and we were broke, there is no logic in rationing something unnecessarily when it is taxed so highly.

Also as Twinny had pointed out to me in the past; T.N.F is no place for political rants, informed or otherwise.

The reasons for continued rationing of petrol were many and complicated and, whatever your view of the Attlee government, they were entirely necessary in the prevailing economic circumstances of the time.

Virtually all of them can ultimately be traced to Capitol Hill, Washington DC ...